Dallas owner Jerry Jones believes teams near .500 — like his Cowboys — are good enough to win the Super Bowl, so that warrants some discussion to expand the NFL playoff format.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones believes teams near .500 — like his Cowboys — are good enough to win the Super Bowl, so that warrants some discussion to expand the NFL playoff format.

Photo: Tim Sharp / Associated Press

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Jerry Jones doesn't think a rookie QB can help Dallas get over an 8-8 hump and into the playoffs.

Jerry Jones doesn't think a rookie QB can help Dallas get over an 8-8 hump and into the playoffs.

Photo: Invision

Cowboys owner nixes Manziel speculation

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SAN ANTONIO — It's been four years since the Dallas Cowboys' last trip to the playoffs, yet Jerry Jones believes the drought could end next season.

“This isn't rebuilding time,” he said.

With that said, the owner indicated speculation he covets former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is unfounded.

“I'm not that gunned up over what a rookie quarterback could do for us this year,” Jones added.

Speaking at the team's pre-draft news conference Tuesday in Irving, Jones made it clear he continues to believe having Tony Romo under center is the Cowboys' best bet.

Jones signed Romo, who holds nearly every significant franchise passing record, to a six-year, $108 million contract extension in 2013 that included a club-record $55 million guaranteed.

“I will go as far as to say it is not our primary goal in the first round to be looking for a quarterback,” Jones said. “We've got a good one.”

The Cowboys own the 16th overall pick in the three-day draft, which begins Thursday. Several quarterback-needy teams pick ahead of Dallas, and many mock drafts have the Cleveland Browns landing Manziel with the No. 4 overall pick.

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So even though Romo is 34, owns a 1-3 playoff record and has a history of back problems, including surgery to repair a herniated disk in December, Jones seems content with the status quo.

“That's the strength of our team, position-wise. Tony, Kyle Orton and then (recently signed Brandon) Weeden, who we like as a development project,” Jones said. “We feel good about Tony's health. His back is everything we'd want it to be at this time. So we feel very strong about the edge quarterbacking gives us.”

“We feel like Tony Romo has a lot of years of great football left in him,” Garrett said.

But that stance isn't universal by any means.

“A 34-year-old quarterback coming off his second back surgery ...” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said in a recent conference call. “I'm not suggesting it has to be in the first round, but at some point, they're going to have to invest a fairly high pick on a quarterback.”

Although Jones mentioned Orton as part of the Cowboys' depth at quarterback, the 31-year-old backup isn't participating in voluntary workouts after he told the team after last season he was contemplating retirement.

So would Orton's absence lead to Dallas drafting a quarterback in the later rounds?

“It won't be a factor in how we draft, as far as Kyle not being here right now,” Jones said. “I will go into (the draft) as if he will be here.”

Said Garrett: “We anticipate (Orton) being back.”

So if it's not rebuilding, where is the franchise?

“Eight and eight,” Jones said.

After an offseason in which it lost franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware and Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Hatcher, what can Dallas be?

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At a glance

When: Thursday-Saturday

Where: Radio City Music Hall, New York

What: Round 1 — 7 p.m.

Thursday; Rounds 2-3 —

5:30 p.m. Friday; Rounds 4-7 —

11 a.m. Saturday

TV: ESPN, NFL Network

Top five picks: 1. Texans,

2. Rams, 3. Jaguars, 4. Browns,

5. Raiders

Cowboys' top pick: No. 16

“We can get better than 8-8,” Jones said. “But that's where we are. We are hell bent to change that. I can speak to that.”